It's been a LONG time since I have played with watercolors! My husband has dropped little tidbits of encouragement over the years to try my hand at painting, but I have been hesitant. Until now... A few weeks ago I found my Christmas stocking stuffed with watercolors, brushes, and a watercolor journal. I decided to give it a try a few days ago and the Corn Cockle flower on the left is the result. I still need lots and lots of practice, but I'm looking forward to it! The next day, I looked at the journal page and I started thinking that there was more I could do with it.... something with it on fabric... I am a fiber artist, right? :-) First, I thought up this simple, little poem. I typed it out, chose a great font and messed with it a little bit. Then I printed it on a piece of fabric. After it dried, I over-dyed it to make it look vintage. A good pressing, set all the dye. Next, I traced my Corn Cockle from my journal onto a another piece of fabric. I played around with the dyes like they were watercolors and "painted" my flower all over again. I appliqued the flower to my background piece with the poem and layered it with batting and backing so I could quilt it. I traced the Corn Cockle again and used it as a stencil for the shadow quilting. Lastly, I "bound" the edges with jute. The entire process was really fun, and I loved seeing it come together! The result is something totally different from my "norm". So without further delay, here it is! Here's a closeup to show some of the detail: I'll keep you posted on my "experiments!"
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This was a fun piece to work on! It is little, only 12" square, but I think it packs a punch. :) As a SAQA member and a resident of TX, I have the opportunity to participate in A Texas Experience, a traveling exhibit that will tour the state for 2014. Back in July, my family and I toured the Texas Ranger Museum in Waco. I learned about the early history of the Rangers which was extremely interesting! What a brave bunch of men! One in particular, Captain W. J. McDonald was the inspiration for this piece. As the story goes, in the early 1900s, the mayor of Dallas called on the help of the Rangers to dispel a riot that had broken out. On the set day of their arrival, the mayor was quite surprised to find only one Ranger stepping off the train...W. J. McDonald. When the mayor inquired about the other Rangers, W. J. replied something to the affect of: "Well, there's only one riot, so you only need one Ranger!" To make the boots, I experimented with a new product called kraft*tex.. This stuff is awesome! It is actually paper, but looks like leather and can be sewn and washed like fabric! Cool huh? I used the natural color but it also comes in black and white. It is easy to stitch on and "ages" well with some crinkling and wrinkling. I've got some more ideas brewing for what I can do with it! |
About MeFiber artist, wife to a wonderful husband and mom to 2 awesome, grown kids Archives
July 2023
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